making a dub

S

stevevaus

Active member
I need to make a beta sp or digibeta dub for broadcast from a project edited in FCP. The footage originated on mini-dv (dvx1000)

Will there be any quality difference between a dub made directly from FCP onto beta vs outputting to mini-dv then copying the mini-dv to beta

Thanks

SV
 
Should be fine unless...

Should be fine unless...

If its strictly just a cut of the original footage, then in a word no. If the original footage was DV, you edited on a DV timeline and then you output back to DV, there's not going to be any quality loss. Then going to Beta/Digibeta you get yourself a stronger archival copy (and going to deck to deck is easier imo as you don't have to deal w/ your system dropping frames or the like).

However, if you edited your footage with sequence settings that are 'better' than DV and you put in effects then yes you'll lose some quality. The effects will be downgraded from the quality of the sequence setting to DV. Now that might not be too big an issue for you considering it was all shot on DV anyway. But that's a personal decision at that point.

cheers.
 
so to be sure I've got this right - if I edited in a normal/standard dv timeline there will be NO difference if I output to mini-dv first then dub to beta sp vs direct to beta sp?

Does the same answer apply comparing the result of a direct output from the same FCP DV project digitally to digibeta vs output to mini dv then dub to digibeta?

thanks
 
Should be the same. But like VaricamLife said if you have any title, graphics, non DV footage in addition to the dv footage, you would do better to use a better quality sequence setting and output it directly from the FCP timeline to a Digibeta deck using one of the interface boards from Kona or Black Magic. (But you'll have to endure some render time).
 
Yes, same goes for digibeta

Yes, same goes for digibeta

Yes the same applies to going to digibeta as well. If you output to mini-DV and then go SDI from a mini-DV deck to the Digibeta deck you'll be just fine as far as quality goes. Any good post house should be able to do it for you without any problems at all.

cheers.
 
I speak from ignorance, but I've always heard that the dv footage will be recompressed going back to another mini dv tape from the FCP harddrive, thereby possibly adding artifacts of re-compression. Additional compression that would not occur by going directly from the harddrive. Urban legend?
 
Thanks, Bob. Glad I declared my ignorance...I couldn't understand the Adam Wilt article. But I'm thinking that if I rent a deck and go out to Digibeta (instead of back to a mini dv tape, even though it was shot and loaded into FCP via mini dv), that should protect me against further loss. Does that sound right?
 
You should be fine

You should be fine

Well what I take from the article is that technically there is generation loss, but for at least few generations it holds up well enough that the loss is essentially insignificant/unoticeable. It seems when you start pushing up at around 7th generation (as high as they went) is when you might not be happy with the results. But a straight from FCP to mini-DV and then mini-DV to Digibeta I still believe is a perfectly fine way to go. Though, if possible, I'd certainly go out to like a master format DVCam tape over some Wal-Mart mini-DV and then take that to Digibeta.

As for going straight FCP to Digibeta, that will do you just fine. That also frees you up to render out your sequence at a higher quality compressor (useful if you've done any kind of titling or effects work). With any kind of titling/effects work I would most certainly use a better quality compressor (like an uncompressed 8 or 10 bit) and then go straight to Digibeta.

cheers.
 
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